Watch the First-Ever Man-Robot Handshake in Space

For the first time, a man-robot handshake has taken place in space. Yesterday, the humanoid automaton Robonaut 2 pressed the (metal) flesh with American astronaut Daniel Burbank. Burbank says that the handshake was “very firm.”

The handshake was part of several range-of-motion tests for Robonaut 2, which has been aboard ISS for nearly a year. NASA hopes that Robonaut 2 will eventually be able to do chores around the house to free astronauts from some of the more mundane tasks. But that’s still in the future. IEEE Spectrum’s Automaton Blog explains:

Well, it's great news that Robonaut can move his limbs, but it's going to take some practice before he's able to make a meaningful contribution to the crew by reducing their workload. Practice is what Robonaut is going to start doing next, using a taskboard where he can press buttons, flip switches, and use tools without risking accidental thruster firings, unexpected decompression, or arming of the railgun turrets or laser cannons.